Steam iron with a vertical steaming feature

ABSTRACT

An electric steam iron includes a soleplate, an electric heater attached in heat transfer relation to the soleplate and a source of electric current connected to the heater for delivering electric power thereto. The iron includes a housing forming a reservoir. A dam is formed in the water reservoir. The iron further includes a steam generating chamber and a valve controlling the flow of water from the water reservoir to the steam generating chamber. The valve is positioned within the water reservoir relatively rearwardly of the dam so that a head of water is formed above the valve when the iron is placed upright with the iron heel rest in a relatively horizontal plane and the iron soleplate in a relatively vertical plane.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to electric steam irons and in particular to anelectric steam iron including a feature which enables the iron to steamwhen the iron is held upright or in the vertical plane.

Standard steam irons are designed to cease steaming when the iron isplaced in a vertical position on its heel rest to avoid continuoussteaming in the resting position. The iron is frequently placed on itsheel rest during pauses in ironing so that garments can be repositionedor that spray or starch may be applied thereto. Continuous steaming whenthe iron is on its heel rest wastes water in the reservoir. Some ironsheretofore known employ a mechanism to insure that the valvecommunicating the water reservoir with the steam chamber is closed whenthe iron is placed on its heel rest.

Some irons employ a pressure feed system to obtain vertical steaming.Typically a gravity feed system cannot be used since the valvecommunicating the water reservoir with the steam chamber is positionedtoo far towards the front of the iron for a vertical feed system tofunction. Pressure feed systems are relatively costly and difficult toassemble in the rather confined space formed within the iron's waterreservoir.

It is therefore an object of this invention to include a verticalsteaming feature in an electric iron operable when the user desires tosteam a garment or other similar product positioned in a vertical plane.The vertical steaming feature is overridden when the iron is placed onits heel rest to discontinue the introduction of water into the steamchamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing object and other objects of the invention are attained inan electric steam iron including a soleplate, an electric heaterattached in heat transfer relation with the soleplate and a source ofelectric power connected to the heater for delivering electric powerthereto. The iron includes a housing forming a reservoir. Means forms adam in the reservoir. A steam generating chamber is in heat transferrelation with the electric heater. Valve means communicates the waterreservoir with the steam generating chamber for controlling the flow ofwater from the water reservoir into the chamber. The valve means ispositioned within the water reservoir relatively rearwardly of the dammeans so that a head of water is formed above the valve means when theiron is placed upright with the heel rest in a relatively horizontalplane and the soleplate in a relatively vertical plane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the iron, the watercassette, and the base for the iron and cassette;

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of the cassette and portion ofthe base illustrating further details thereof;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the ironbeing placed on the base;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the iron on the base;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the iron, with parts broken awayfor clarity, illustrating the iron on the soleplate thereof;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the iron on its heel rest;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 4 and with the iron in the base;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the iron, partially in section,with the iron on the soleplate;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the steam control assemblyemployed in the iron;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the steam control assembly;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view with parts broken away to illustratea thermostat control used in the iron;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the iron further illustrating thethermostat control;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the ironillustrating the thermostat control;

FIG. 13 is a side perspective view of the iron with parts broken away toillustrate a spray nozzle assembly employed on the iron;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of the spray nozzle assembly;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the nozzle assembly;

FIG. 16 is a side perspective view of the iron with parts broken away toillustrate a reservoir fill control for the iron;

FIG. 17 is a partial sectional view of the iron illustrated in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the iron and baseillustrating details of the water reservoir of the iron; and

FIG. 19 is a plan view partially in section and partially broken away ofthe water reservoir.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the various figures of the drawing, a preferredembodiment of the present invention shall now be described in detail. Inreferring to the various figures of the drawing, like numerals shallrefer to like parts.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 1, 1A, 2 and 3, there is shown an ironassembly 10 embodying the present invention. Iron assembly 10 includesan iron 11, a water cassette 16, and a base 14. Base 14 includes agenerally planar platform member 15 terminating in a downwardly inclinedportion 41 at its rear end. Base 14 includes an upwardly extending rim17. Platform 15 includes three standoffs 18 formed from nonabrasivematerial such as rubber or the like. Standoffs 18 contact the bottomsurface of soleplate 54 of the iron when the iron is placed on the base.As standoffs 18 are made from nonabrasive material, the standoffs willnot scratch the surface of the soleplate. Further, the standoffs aremade from high temperature resistant material so that the iron may beplaced directly in base 14 immediately after ironing is discontinued.

Base 14 includes a pair of inwardly extending hook-like projections 20formed at the top of rim 17 and located at the front of platform 15.Hook-like projections 20 extend into a groove 55 formed between the topof soleplate 54 and the bottom of skirt 58 of the iron when iron 11 isplaced on the base. A rectangular slot 26 and a generally circularopening 28 are formed in platform 15 to enable base 14 to be placed on amounting bracket for enabling iron assembly 10 to be stored on a wall orsimilar surface when iron 11 is not in use.

Base 14 further includes a pivotal latch 22 having a hook-like portion27 at one end and an elongated finger 25 extending from hook-likeportion 27. The latch is preferably L or reverse J shaped. A handle 23is connected to latch 22 to pivot the latch between locking andunlocking positions. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, latch 22 furtherincludes a spring 24 which keeps the latch in its iron engaged positionwhen the iron is placed on base 14. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a somewhatrectangular slot 29 is formed at the rear face of the iron betweensoleplate 54 and skirt 58. Hook-like portion 27 projects within slot 29to retain iron 11 on base 14.

When the iron is not located on the base, for example when the iron isbeing used, finger 25 extends upwardly above the surface of platform 15.As iron 11 is moved towards the base, as shown in FIG. 2, finger 25extends into the path of movement of the iron. When the iron is placedon the base, the rear portion of soleplate 54 contacts finger 25. Theforce developed by soleplate 54 engaging finger 25 rotates latch 22counterclockwise into its locking position. When the user desires toremove iron 11 from base 14, the user rotates handle 23 clockwise topivot latch 22 clockwise to release the iron. Even if engaging finger 25is moved below the plane of platform 15 when the iron is not in thebase, when the front of the iron is placed in the base so thatprojections 20 are inserted into groove 55, the rear face of skirt 58will contact portion 27 and rotate the latch clockwise until finger 25contacts soleplate 54 of iron 11. Further movement of the iron into thebase will result in the latch pivoting counterclockwise into its lockingposition.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, base 14 includes a rear section 34 definingthe rear wall of the base. Rear section 34 includes a verticallyextending inwardly projecting abutment member 30 and a tail portion 32extending upwardly from the top face 33 of rear section 34. Tail portion32 comprises a generally horizontal extending floor member 35, a pair ofinwardly inclined sidewalls 37 and an inwardly inclined front wall 39.The rear of tail section 32 is open.

Water cassette 16 includes a bottom wall 36 having a generallyrectangularly shaped slot 43 formed therein. Slot 43 is configured tocomplement the shape of tail portion 32 so that the tail portion may beslid within the slot to join the cassette to the base. Slot 43terminates in a vertical wall 45 which mates with vertical wall 39 oftail portion 32 when the tail portion is inserted into the slot.Cassette 16 further includes a plurality of horizontally extending ribs38 to give rigidity to the wall 49 of cassette 16. The ribs alsofunction as a cordwrap for power cord 59 when the iron is stored. A cap51 is threadably received on the spout (not shown) of the cassette.

Housing 12 includes a nose portion 50. Housing 12 is attached to skirt58 which, in turn, is attached to soleplate 54. Groove 55 is formedbetween the top surface of soleplate 54 and the bottom surface of skirt58. Groove 55 enables the user to readily iron garments having buttonsand also functions to receive projections 20 as previously described.Skirt 58 is generally L-shaped and comprises a horizontal leg 58A and asubstantially vertical leg 58B.

Spray nozzle 52 extends forwardly of nose portion 50 of housing 12. Noseportion 50 further includes fill opening 48. Housing 12 further includeshandle 40. Steam control valve 42 extends upwardly from handle 40.Handle 40 further includes spray pump control 44. Control 44 activatespump 44A (See FIG. 17).

An on/off switch 46 is positioned on the saddle portion 47 of housing12. An arcuate opening 62 is formed in saddle portion 47. The arcuateopening forms a track for thermostat control knob 60. Arcuate opening 62is inclined downwardly about 2° from its rear to its forward faces. Theinclination of the track follows the general contour of saddle portion47.

A rear cover 56 is attached to the outer surface of vertical leg 58B ofskirt 58. An opening is formed between the outer surface of leg 58B andthe opposed surface of cover 56. A cord bushing 57 extends outwardlythrough the opening. Cord bushing 57 surrounds power cord 59. Power cord59 is connected to a source of electrical power for deliveringelectrical power to the iron for actuating among other components theelectrical resistance heater (shown in FIG. 18) associated with thesoleplate in heat transfer relation as is conventional in the art. Arotatable foot-like member 70 is attached to cover 56 for a reason to bemore fully explained hereinafter.

Referring now in detail to FIGS. 4-9, the function of foot member 70 inconjunction with the steam control, on/off switch, and base shall bemore fully explained.

As illustrated, foot member 70 is pivotally connected to cover 56 atpivot 72. As shown in FIG. 4, when the soleplate is placed in ahorizontal plane and the iron is supported on an underlying garment onthe surface of the ironing board, foot member 70 lies generally parallelto the soleplate and is spaced above the underlying support surface. Anactuator arm 102 of steam control assembly 100 extends within thepivotal path of movement of foot member 70. When the iron is positionedas shown in FIG. 4, actuator arm 102 is urged towards cover 56.

Further as illustrated in FIG. 4, on/off switch 46 is in its on positionconnecting iron 11 to the source of electrical power. On/off switch 46is pivotally connected to skirt 58 via bracket 76. On/off switch 46includes a trigger member 78. Rotatable actuator 80 is positioned in thepath of movement of foot member 70 when the iron is placed on base 14 asillustrated in FIG. 6. Movement of actuator 80 results in contactbetween the actuator and trigger member 78.

FIG. 5 illustrates the iron supported on its heel rest. The rear surfaceof cover 56 defines the heelrest for the iron. As the iron is rotatedfrom its horizontal position to its heelrest position, the weight of theiron provides a force to rotate foot member 70 in a counterclockwisedirection to achieve the position illustrated in FIG. 5. The weight ofthe iron also provides a force which causes the foot member to translateparallel to the soleplate in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 5.When so translated in the direction shown, notch 81 of the foot memberengages a complementary surface 82 on the cover to latch the foot memberin the position illustrated. Spring 83 is compressed as a consequence ofthe rotational movement of foot member 70.

When foot member 70 has been rotated to the position illustrated in FIG.5, the foot member extends the effective length of the heel rest. Itshould be noted that iron 11 has a rather unique shape. Particularly, itshould be noted that the upwardly extending leg 58B of skirt 58 is at anobtuse angle relative to horizontal leg 58A of the skirt. Typically, theupwardly extending leg of a skirt is perpendicular or at an acute angleto the horizontally extending leg of the skirt. Thus, the cover of theiron attached to the upwardly extending leg readily provides a suitablesupport for the iron when the iron is placed in the heel rest position.Due to the rather unique shape of the present iron 11, and in theabsence of foot member 70, the weight of the iron will cause the iron torotate in a counterclockwise direction if the iron were placed on cover56. Foot member 70 when extended in the position shown in FIG. 5,increases the length of cover 56 so that the fulcrum or pivot point forthe iron is shifted to the left (towards the soleplate) as viewed inFIG. 5 so that the clockwise moment arm tending to maintain the iron onits heel rest increases in magnitude and the counterclockwise moment armdecreases in magnitude. A relatively light weight 86 may be added to thehandle to increase the magnitude of the clockwise moment arm to furtherinsure the stability of the iron when the iron is placed on its heelrest. Since the fulcrum has been moved as a consequence of the extensionof foot member 70, weight 86 may be relatively light so as not to undulyincrease the total weight of the iron.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the rotational movement of foot member 70results in leg 70A thereof contacting actuator arm 102 of steam valveassembly 100. The force provided by leg 70A moving into contact withactuator arm 102 of steam valve 100 moves the actuator to the left asviewed in FIG. 4 or upwardly as viewed in FIG. 5. As shall be more fullyexplained hereinafter, this movement of the actuator arm results in thestoppage of flow of water from water reservoir 120 into steam chamber122.

When iron 11 is moved from the heel rest position illustrated in FIG. 5to the ironing position illustrated in FIG. 4, notch 81 disengages fromsurface 82, enabling foot member 70 to rotate in a clockwise directionas viewed in FIG. 4. Spring 83 provides the force to rotate foot member70 from its heel rest position (FIG. 5) to the ironing position (FIG.4). If the foot member is jammed into its heel rest position when theiron is returned to its ironing position, the lower edge 70D of footmember 70 extends below the bottom surface of soleplate 54. Edge 70Dcontacts the underlying support surface (ironing board or garment) andthe force of such engagement triggers the foot member to translate inthe direction opposite to the arrow illustrated in FIG. 5. This movementreleases notch 81 from surface 82.

Referring now to FIG. 6, iron 11 is shown mounted on base 14. When theiron is placed on its base, abutment member 30 of rear section 34 of thebase engages foot member 70 to rotate foot member 70 in acounterclockwise direction. As noted previously, the foot member isrotated in a counterclockwise direction when the iron is placed on itsheel rest; however the shape of abutment member 30 causes the footmember to have a larger arc of rotation when the iron is placed on base14 than when the iron is placed on its heel rest.

Foot member 70 is rotated counterclockwise when iron 11 is placed on thebase, to move actuator arm 102 of steam valve assembly 100 to the leftas shown in FIG. 6. Further, upper face 70C of the foot member engagesactuator 80 associated with on/off switch 46. The actuator in turnengages trigger member 78 of the switch to rotate the switch in acounterclockwise direction from its on position to its off position.Thus, when iron 11 is placed on base 14, engagement of foot member 70with abutment member 30 results in the foot member moving the actuatorarm 102 to discontinue flow of water into steam chamber 122 and alsoresults in the electrical power to the iron being interrupted since theon/off switch is moved into its off position. Inclined portion 41 ofplatform member 15 enables foot member to rotate to the position shownin FIG. 6 when the iron is placed on base 14. Inclined portion 41accepts the extended portion of foot member 70 terminating in edge 70D.

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 18, steam control assembly 100 shallnow be described in detail. Steam control assembly 100 is mounted in atrack 124 formed in the top surface 126 of skirt 58 and includes alongitudinally extending actuator arm 102 which, has one end aspreviously described extending into the path of travel of foot member70. As shown in FIG. 9, actuator arm 102 is connected to a rib 106 whichin turn is connected to an actuator fork 108 having a U-shaped slot 110formed therein. One end 112 of a spring bellows 114 extends within slot110.

The other end of spring bellows 114 terminates in a longitudinallyextending pin 116. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the pin and associated endof the spring bellows extend into an orifice 130 of conduit 132. Conduit132 extends outwardly from the sidewall 134 of valve housing 136. Valvehousing 136 includes a chamber 128. Passageway 140 communicates orifice130 with chamber 128. Passageway 140 also communicates chamber 128 withoutlet 142. Pin 116 extends through the passageway into the chamber toclean the passageway and meter the flow of water from the chamber intothe passageway. End 112 of bellows 114 closes the passageway when thebellows is moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 8 and interrupts flowbetween chamber 128 and outlet 142. Actuator arm 102 moves bellows 114to terminate the flow of water from water reservoir 120 into steamchamber 122.

Housing 14 includes steam control valve 42 for enabling the user tooperate iron 11 in either dry or steam modes. FIG. 7 illustrates controlvalve 42 when the iron is being operated in its steam mode. Steamcontrol valve 42 is connected via valve stem 144 to valve 146. As shown,when valve 146 is spaced above chamber 128, water will flow from waterreservoir 120 into valve chamber 128 and thence into outlet 142 andsteam chamber 122. When in the position shown, iron 11 may be used tosteam and iron a garment. If dry ironing is desired, control valve 42 ismoved downwardly to move valve stem 144 and attached valve 146downwardly to close off the flow of water from reservoir 120 intochamber 122.

When the iron is rotated into its heel rest position, foot member 70 isrotated in a counterclockwise direction which, in turn, moves actuatorarm 102 to the left as viewed in FIGS. 7 and 8. Movement of the actuatorarm in this manner results in end 112 of bellows 114 closing the orificeto discontinue the flow of water from the water reservoir throughchamber 128 and then into outlet 142. The same movement of the footmember and actuator arm occurs when the iron is placed in the base andthe foot member engages abutment member 30.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, there is disclosed a preferred embodimentof the thermostat control for iron 11. As noted previously, saddle 47 ofthe iron includes an arcuate track 62 in which control knob 60 ismovably mounted. Track 62 extends arcuately in a horizontal planethrough the saddle portion and, as shown in FIG. 12 has a vertical slopeso that track 62 is angled downwardly from the rear end of iron 11towards nose portion 50 thereof. The slope of the track is substantially2° and the arcuate travel of knob 60 in track 62 is substantially 10°.

As shown in FIG. 12, control knob 60 is connected to a verticallyextending pin 150. The vertical axis of pin 150 is offset inwardlytowards the center of iron 11 with respect to a vertical plane passingthrough the center of knob 60. Pin 150 extends within horizontallyextending slot 152 of actuator lever 154. Lever 154 is integrally formedwith rotatable actuator 156. Actuator 156 is attached to upwardlyextending shaft 149 of thermostat 148. Thermostat 148 senses thetemperature of soleplate 54. Pin 150 and actuator lever 154 comprise alinkage connecting control knob 60 to actuator 156, which in turncontrols the operation of thermostat 148. The length of the radiusestablishing arcuate track 62 is substantially larger when compared tothe length of the radius establishing the rotational path of movement ofactuator 156. Movement of control knob 60 through a 10° arcuate path oftravel results in substantially a 120° rotational movement of actuator156 and shaft 149 of thermostat 148.

As shown in FIG. 11, as control knob 60 is arcuately moved along track62, pin 150 transfers the force developed by movement of the knob to theactuator lever 154 and then to actuator 156 for establishing a set oroperating point for thermostat 148. As the arcuate path for travel ofknob 60 is substantially less than the arcuate path of travel ofactuator 156, the distance between pin 150 and the center of rotation ofactuator 156 is constantly changing. Further, the vertical position ofthe pin relative to slot 152 changes during movement of knob 60 due tothe inclination of track 62. Pin 150 slides within slot 152 of lever 154as a consequence of the movement of the control knob. In effect, theslot compensates for the vertical movement of pin 150 relative to lever154 and also enables the distance between pin 150 and the center ofrotation of actuator 156 to change. The described control enablesthermostat control knob 60 to be mounted on a saddle having a rathercomplex geometrical shape.

Referring now to FIGS. 13-15, there is disclosed a preferred embodimentof the spray nozzle assembly 52 as used in the present iron assembly 10.Spray nozzle assembly 52 is mounted at the nose portion 50 of iron 11.Spray pump control 44 extends upwardly from handle 40 of iron 11. Whenthe user desires to spray an underlying garment, the user pressesdownwardly on pump control 44 which creates a pumping action to pumpwater via pump 44A (See FIG. 17) from water reservoir 120 through line182 and then through nozzle 52A of nozzle assembly 52. Nozzle assembly52 includes nozzle 52A having a generally frusto-conically shaped outerwall 162 and an end wall 164 having a spray opening 166 generallylocated at the center thereof. Outer wall 162 defines a longitudinallyextending bore 168. A spreader element 170 is disposed within the borefor reciprocating movement therein. Spreader element 170 includes agenerally enlarged cylindrical head 172, a longitudinally extending bodyportion 174 and a spherical spreader end 176. A coupling 178 extendswithin an open end 180 of nozzle assembly 52. Line 182 is fitted overthe outer end of coupling 178 to communicate bore 184 with waterreservoir 120. Coupling 178 includes a valve seat 188 facing towardsspherical end 176 of spreader element 170.

In operation, when the user desires to spray a garment being ironed, theuser pumps control 44 to pump water from water reservoir 120 via pump44A through line 182, thence into bore 168. The force of the water movesthe spreader to the left as viewed in FIG. 14 so that surface 190 of thespreader contacts the inwardly extending pads 192 of nozzle assembly 52.Cylindrical head 172 of spreader element 170 directs the water in bore168 towards the perimeter. Raised pads 192 comprise a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced members disposed on the interior surface of endwall 164. The water forced to the perimeter of bore 168 flows under thespreader and then radially inwardly between the raised pads to thecentrally located orifice 166. The water is then sprayed in a desiredpattern onto the garment.

When the user ceases pumping control 44, the return action of pump 44Acreates a suction on line 182 moving spreader element 170 to the rightas shown in FIG. 14 which results in spherical end 176 engaging seat 188to create a seal. The seal prevents air from being sucked into thedischarge side of pump 44A.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, the details of the fill system forwater reservoir 120 shall be described in detail. A somewhatelliptically shaped opening 48 is formed in housing 12 at the noseportion or front end thereof 50. Opening 48 communicates with a waterflow passage 194 defined between downwardly extending ribs 196. Ballvalve or float valve 198 is disposed within flow passage 194. Thespecific gravity of ball valve 198 is less than one so that the valvefloats on water. Lower wall 208 of reservoir 120 and the ribs entrap theball valve. When the ball valve is moved upwardly within the passage,the ball valve seats against valve seat 202 to prevent water fromsplashing outwardly through opening 48.

When the user is filling water reservoir 120, a source of water isplaced in communication with flow opening 48. For example, flow opening48 may be placed beneath a faucet or cassette 16 may be used to addwater to reservoir 120. Water fills the water reservoir causing floatvalve 198 to move upwardly in passage 194. When the iron is in normaluse and water is in the reservoir, the float valve again is movedupwardly since its specific gravity is less than one. Valve 198 isforced against seat 202 to prevent the water from splashing outwardlythrough opening 48 during normal ironing use.

Further, when the iron is placed in a vertical position, for examplewhen it is desired to steam or iron a garment held in a verticalposition, if water level in the reservoir is relatively high, the waterwill cause ball valve 198 to remain seated, preventing water fromsplashing out when the iron is held upright.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, the structure of reservoir 120 shallnow be more fully described. Reservoir 120 includes a plurality of walls204 and 206 which extend upwardly part way from the top of lower orbottom wall 208 of reservoir 120. Walls 204 and 206 serve as dam meansor as weir means to separate the reservoir into a forward compartment210 and a rear compartment 211. It should be noted opening 212 in bottomwall 208 is located at the rear of forward compartment 210. In effect,walls 204 and 206 serve as dam means to provide a head of water aboveopening 212 when the iron is held in a vertical position. The head ofwater in forward compartment 210 enables iron 11 to be used as a steamerwhile the iron is held in a vertical position. By trapping water in theforward compartment when the iron is turned vertical, water willcontinue to flow from reservoir 120, through opening 212, steam valvechamber 128 and then into steam chamber 122. The iron will generatesteam for a period of time until the supply of trapped water incompartment 210 is exhausted.

To replenish the supply of water in forward compartment 210, the userneed only tip the iron forward and water in rear compartment 211 willflow into the forward compartment. When the iron is returned to itsvertical position, divider walls 204 and 206 will retain the water inthe forward compartment.

A water window 214 is disposed on saddle portion 47 and in alignmentwith rear compartment 211. When the iron is placed on its heel rest orheld vertical, the user may look at the water window which, since it isin vertical alignment with the rear compartment provides an accurateindicator of the amount of water remaining in the water reservoir. Ifthere is insufficient water in the reservoir to satisfy the steamingfunction, additional water can be added to reservoir 120 from cassette16 or from a sink faucet.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been describedand illustrated, the invention should not be limited thereto but may beotherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electric steam iron comprising:a soleplate; anelectric heater attached in heat transfer relation to the soleplate; asource of electric current connected to the heater for deliveringelectric power thereto; housing means forming a water reservoir andincluding a forward portion and a rearward portion including an ironheel rest; means forming a dam in the water reservoir; a steamgenerating chamber formed in heat transfer relation with said electricheater; valve means communicating the water reservoir with the steamgenerating chamber for controlling the flow of water from said waterreservoir into said chamber; and said valve means being positionedwithin the water reservoir relatively rearwardly of said dam means sothat a head of water is formed by said dam means above said valve meanswhen the iron is placed upright with the heel rest in a relativelyhorizontal plane and the soleplate in a relatively vertical plane.
 2. Anelectric steam iron in accordance with claim 1 wherein:said dam meansincludes at least one divider wall disposed in said water reservoir fordividing said water reservoir into a forward chamber and a rearwardchamber; and said valve means is located in said forward chamber.
 3. Anelectric steam iron in accordance with claim 2 further including meansto discontinue flow of water from said reservoir into said steam chamberwhen the iron is placed on said heel rest.
 4. An electric steam iron inaccordance with claim 1 further including means to discontinue flow ofwater from said reservoir into said steam chamber when the iron isplaced on said heel rest.
 5. A method of enabling water to flow from awater reservoir of an electric iron into a steam chamber thereof whenthe iron is used with a soleplate thereof held in a vertically uprightposition comprising the steps of:establishing a head of water in thereservoir vertically above a control valve regulating the flow of waterfrom the water reservoir into the steam chamber when the soleplate isheld substantially vertically upright for ironing material disposed in avertical plane; discontinuing the flow of water from the water reservoirto the steam chamber when the iron is placed on a heelrest thereof; andcontinuing the flow of water through said valve from water reservoir tosaid chamber as a consequence of the head of water being maintainedabove the valve when the soleplate is held substantially verticallyupright to iron the vertically disposed material.
 6. A method inaccordance with claim 5 further including the step of:replenishing thehead of water above the control valve to maintain the vertical steamfunction.
 7. A method in accordance with claim 6 further including thestep of:dividing the reservoir into a forward compartment and a rearwardcompartment; and locating the valve in a rear section of the forwardcompartment.
 8. A method in accordance with claim 5 further includingthe step of:dividing the reservoir into a forward compartment and arearward compartment; and locating the valve in a rear section of theforward compartment.